Monday, March 1, 2010

my sister's trip to the salon

my sister took out her kinky twists on february 25th. they lasted about 6 weeks, which is typical for her. she had about an inch of new growth when they came out...this is what they looked like the day i installed them.she actually asked me if she could wear her hair out for a few days before getting it braided back up, and i was SHOCKED! this is coming from my sister, who is deathly allergic to heat on her hair, as you may recall. in fact, her hair has only been straightened ONCE since she's been natural, and that was right around new years before this last set of kinky twists was installed. i guess she liked it so much (or got so many compliments, haha) that she wanted it done again. however, i didn't really feel like straightening her hair since i'm not so good at getting my own straight, and hers is wayyyy thicker than mine...so i told her as a reward for doing so well in school last semester, i would pay for her to go to the dominican salon and get a blowout. of course she shuddered when she heard this, having heard my mother and i talk about that hot blow dryer, but i reminded her that that was all before i discovered "my new girl" (i really, REALLY have to learn her name) and i reassured her she would leave with her hair swinging and her scalp intact. on thursday the 25th, i took her after school (with deep conditioner already in her hair) for what would promise to be an interesting afternoon.

after driving all the way to the larger salon 30 minutes from here, i was told that my favorite girl was actually at the salon 10 minutes from my house. all i could do was laugh, since that's pretty much how i expected my luck to play out. we hopped back in the car and got there just in time -- there were only 2 customers, and it was AFTER my sister sat down that everyone rushed into the salon after work. there were only two people working there, a light skinned larger girl with WL straightish hair, and my girl, who has BSL jet black hair with red highlights. the light skinned girl took one look at my sister's hair and added $20 to the price of a standard blowout. i wasn't shocked for some reason (maybe because mine is $10 more, supposedly because i am natural), so i just shook my head and agreed to it. she started talking to the other girl, whom i have noticed doesn't speak much english, and led my sister to the shampoo bowl. she picked up a small toothed comb while i watched in horror -- and then my girl came over with a large shower-sized bone comb and pushed the other girl out of the way. see, this is why she is my favorite!! she washed my sister's hair, gently detangling it, then sat her in the chair to get prepped for the dryer. the light skinned girl reached for the magnetic rollers, and i perked up to see how this was going to go, since i couldn't imagine rollers getting my sister's hair anything near straight. i was right, though -- my girl came over and again pushed the other stylist out of the way, and instead put my sister's hair in about 20 bantu knots before sitting her under the dryer. pleased, i made small talk with my mom, who had arrived by then to get her own blowout. the flat iron job i had done earlier in the week turned out less than stellar, to say the least, and she just couldn't let my sister get her hair done without seeing it with her own eyes! while my sister was under the dryer, both stylists started talking about my hair before asking me if it was a weave. i told them no, and parted my hair to show them the cornrows under my crochet braids. i heard them both say "ahhh", then felt two pairs of hands in my head! all i could do was laugh while they checked out my handiwork, almost in disbelief that i had done it myself. the light skinned one then asked if i do hair, and i simply said yes. =) she asked my advice on getting two strand twists, and we talked a bit about the type of hair in my head before my mom and sister's time was up under the dryer.

while my sister was under the dryer, in came a woman and her daughter to get blowouts of their own. i would estimate that the girl was maybe 12 or so, and i couldn't keep my eyes off of her...not because i couldn't believe she was so young and looked so used to getting her hair done, but because she had the most BEAUTIFUL hair! her WL/TL hair (my estimation anyway) was pulled up into a ponytail that hung to her waist, and it was in a bouncy braidout. it was right then and there that i decided that i wanted a ponytail just like that one. i have always pretty much thought of hair that length as stereotypically boring and just plain TOO MUCH, but it looked really great on her and not boring at all. i mean, just thinking of the beautiful spiral curls that would have resulted from her rollerset almost had me drooling! i tried hard not to stare, but i couldn't resist taking a picture. i wish i could have been there to see the outcome!

after getting up, my sister was led to the chair...and my mom and i both watched intently as my girl pulled out the blow dryer. we were right in the sense that my sister made THEE most hilarious faces at first, but she seemed to hold it together as my mom and i took bets as to whether she would ever return. after getting her hair blown out, it was flat ironed for extra sleekness. i was so glad i had brought my huge bottle of chi silk infusion, since this was more heat than she had probably ever had on her hair, natural or relaxed! they then gave her a small trim (my girl's other specialty) and wrapped it. she left grinning like a cheshire cat, letting me know that even though it was a bit painful at first, she thought her hair looked great. i feel like although she will still be conscious of what she is letting happen to her hair, she's no longer afraid of heat...occasionally, anyway.